SOUND : HOW IT WORKS
Sound travels through the air as waves. The air vibrates as a result, changing the distance between each air molecule. These molecular movements of air reach your eardrum, and cause it to vibrate. When your eardrum vibrates, you hear the sound. Analog electric audio signals are typically direct currents that vary in strength. The quickly changing high and low voltages in an audio signal correspond to the movement of air moecules When the diaphragms of microphones vibrate, they send current through the audio cable. This current is your audio signal A speaker does the same thing in reverse. The current reaches the speaker, and the coils of wire in the speaker turn it back actual movement. This movement causes the air surrounding the speaker to vibrate. This vibration results in the sound we hear. (Hence the poor sounding 'headphones as stealth microphones' technique. The signal is usually far too low, so the sound is, while binaural in principal, is usually terrible.) Return to my homepage.